Why Vote? Reasons 1,159 - 1,279What do Madeleine Albright, Ben Nighthorse Campbell, Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae and the Aboriginal novelist Sam Watson have in common? They all play a part in our next 121 reasons to get out and vote.
Madeleine AlbrightFormer secretary of state and Georgetown professor1159. It is a way responsible citizens have a voice in the conduct of their nation. It is both a responsibility and a privilege. |
1160-1198. |
Sam Watson, Age 56Aboriginal Australian novelist, playwright, activist, and politician. First voted in 1972, five years after all aboriginals were granted the vote.The truth is, the right to vote doesn't give us any real power in a democratic system. In America, the black vote is very powerful, and they've been able to secure their people into key positions. But in Australia, aboriginal people constitute 2.5 percent of the national population. In 1972, I approached voting with mixed feelings, but we had the option of voting for a new government-an opposition party, led by Gough Whitlam-and he did a great number of things for aboriginal people.But aboriginals still stand as a sovereign people. We have never ceded sovereignty to the British government. Before James Cook came here, on behalf of the British government, this land was occupied and owned and held by more than 800 separate, autonomous nations; reading some proclamation in a foreign language did nothing to extinguish our sovereign rights. |
1202. Bear Stearns.
1203. IndyMac.
1204. Fannie Mae.
1205. Freddie Mac.
1206. Lehman Brothers.
1207. Merrill Lynch.
1208. The next one.
1209-1274. Maybe you don't want each of the 66 paid lobbyists that were working for the McCain campaign in March of 2008 to have an influence on his policies.1275. Your grandparents had to hike barefoot in the snow uphill both ways to vote.1276. Unlike the SAT, leaving an answer blank doesn't work to your advantage.1277. You want to call yourself patriotic without being a hypocrite.Ben Nighthorse CampbellFormer Colorado senator and first Native American to serve in the Senate1278. There have been many times in recorded history when one vote turned the tide. When women's right to vote was ratified throughout America, the last state to ratify it was Tennessee. The vote came down to a tie on two successive votes. On the third try, one state representative changed his mind and decided to vote for it. That one single person's vote gave Tennessee the final ratification to allow women to vote in America. |
"Fuck the vote. Seeing friends wearing Obama shirts reminds me of dorks who were bummed about a lack of enthusiasm at our high school and wanted to ‘Bring the Spirit Back!' Do these people really think McCain is that different from Obama? Conservatives voted for Bush to close borders and get a grip on spending. He blew up the borders and spent more than any president in history. Liberals voted for Clinton to throw money around and were willing to pay the taxes to do it. He spent less than anyone and left us with very conservative-friendly profits. You don't know what you're getting."Gavin McInnes, co-founder of Vice magazine and the Street Carnage website |
